About

I am a social worker. I am an artist. I am a writer. My kids are two cats and two dogs...a lot of my art is related to the human-animal bond because I have found so much joy and laughter in those relationships. I used to work as an editor and communications professional but went back to school to become a therapist and social worker.

Friday, December 26, 2008

For anyone out there that are as disgusted as I am with Michael Vick's actions, and minimal sentence, there is a petition to ban him from the NFL.

Michael Vick has openly admitted to the fighting, torture, and murder of many pit bulls on his land in Virginia. These dogs were not only fought but murdered in some of the most brutal ways-beating, drowning, hanging, and even electrocution.For the horrible crimes that Michael Vick has committed, he was sentenced to a mere 23 months in prison, and now his lawyers are announcing that he should be out of prison and in a halfway house by Jan. 20, 2009.

This petition is to encourage the NFL to not reinstate Michael Vick into the NFL EVER! As we all know, famous athletes are supposed to be role models, setting a good example for America and its youth. Michael Vick should never be allowed to play professional football again.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Atticus is a little bag of bones at 16 years old, so he enjoys warmth more than ever. Here he is snuggled up in a blanket I wrapped around him as we both enjoyed the heat from the fireplace. I wish I could keep him forever...he has the personality of 10 cats...and still manages to be obnoxious and bossy with liver, kidney, and heart problems. He gets daily fluids and meds and seems to be pretty happy for now...and I am grateful.

This is an email that was forwarded to me from the owners who lost their dog at Happy Tails... (if you're in the Knoxville area you know the story...if not, read HERE...)

Friends:

Although this is difficult to write, I wanted to go ahead and share the story of our beagle's death. Our dog, Moxie, was a healthy five year old Beagle; she loved to bark at walkers, lie on our front porch and have her belly rubbed by any and all visitors. She loved our three children and just enjoyed her life. On Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I called Happy Tails (a grooming and boarding business located on old Ebenezer) to see if they could give her a bath. We were planning on lots of family on Thanksgiving at our house and knew Moxie would be in the middle of it. She has been boarded and bathed there when needed for over five years. I dropped her off at 12:30 PM and paid in advance because my 16 year old son was picking her up on his way home from Bearden High School . He arrived at around 4 PM and was told that she would be ready in a few minutes. After waiting around 10-15 minutes, the owner, Eric Webb came running through the lobby with our dog in his arms and told my son to follow him to his father's office. My son, a licensed driver of two weeks, followed Eric from their business, past our vet's office and traveled another 10 minutes to his father's office, Dr. Carlos Webb, Rocky Hill Animal Clinic. They traveled at a high rate of speed and our son was distraught and confused as to what was occurring. After arriving at the office, our beagle was pronounced dead by Dr. Webb. The explanation was that she had a seizure and died after being dried from her bath. Our son called my husband and me on our cell phones and we arrived as soon as possible (about 20 minutes). The owner's wife, Sarah, did not call us even though she had all our information. They also did not use our vet listed on our emergency form. The owner, Eric, said he did not call because he was "busy, trying to save your dog's life". The only discussion at the vet's office while we were all still in a state of shock was whether to cremate or have the city pick up our dog. They also discussed the associated costs. We agreed to cremation around 5 when we left the office.

The next morning, I visited our veterinarian to discuss the situation. She immediately requested the body be released to her staff. After first denying that they had Moxie they called back to confirm that they were mistaken and she could be picked up. Dr. Frazier, Northshore Animal Clinic, delivered her to UT for an autopsy. She confirmed that Moxie had no history that would indicate a seizure, etc. It was only after being notified by Dr. Webb that we had her picked up, that we received a call from Eric to see how we were. He assured me repeatedly that there was no foul play and that she died of natural causes. He also offered to pay to buy us a new dog, any breed we wanted. < /SPAN>The results of the autopsy were a shock to us all. The cause of death was determined to be heat stroke and blunt injury trauma. She had three cracked ribs and her liver was lacerated and had bled into her stomach in an amount that would cause death. Until we can investigate further, we will not know exactly what occurred at Happy Tails. All I know is that we miss her terribly and find it hard to understand why she had to endure such a horrible death. It is a difficult situation to explain to our children.

I have promised our children that her death will not be in vain and that we will do all we can to share her story and hopefully prevent others from suffering a similar loss. After our tragedy I researched on the computer about Happy Tails and was shocked at the other stories. You can google it and read those for yourself. I can only ask that you do not utilize Happy Tails for any services for your pets, even something as simple as a bath. Also, please check out and ask for recommendations for any services for your pets. I never thought this would happen and always felt safe leaving my pet in their care. If you have any questions, or if you have a similar story, please call or email me.